Opioid Overdose Rates Up Nearly 500% for Women 30-64, CDC Reports

Over the past 20 years, the opioid overdose rate has skyrocketed among women between 30 and 64 years old, according to new analysis released Thursday by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Since 1999, the opioid overdose rate among women 30 to 64 rose an incredible 492%. That’s the highest leap in any population group. During that time, deaths from drug overdoses of all types increased 260% among women in that same age group. As painkiller addiction and abuse continues to plague people from all backgrounds, it seems no population group is left untouched by the epidemic.

In general, the severity of the domestic opioid crisis really can’t be overstated. As rates continue to climb, new problems continue to compound the crisis, such as the rising rate of fentanyl use, the synthetic opioid that now accounts for nearly half of U.S. overdose deaths.